California Lutheran University
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| California Lutheran University | |
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| Motto: | Love of Christ, Truth and Freedom |
| Established: | 1959 |
| Type: | Private |
| Endowment: | $40.2 million [1] |
| President: | Dr. Chris Kimball |
| ASCLU President: | Andrew Brown |
| Faculty: | 283 (134 full time, 149 part time) |
| Undergraduates: | 2,124 |
| Postgraduates: | 1,174 |
| Location: | Thousand Oaks, CA, USA |
| Campus: | Suburban - 225 acres (0.91 km²) |
| Athletics: | http://www.clusports.com |
| Colors: | Violet and Gold |
| Mascot: | Kingsmen (men), Regals (women) |
| Affiliations: | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) |
| Website: | http://www.callutheran.edu/ |
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California Lutheran University (CLU also known as Cal Lutheran) is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.
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[edit] Mission statement
The University's mission statement is as follows:
"California Lutheran University is a diverse, scholarly community dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies. Rooted in the Lutheran tradition of Christian faith, the University encourages critical inquiry into matters of both faith and reason. The mission of the University is to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice." [2]
[edit] History
CLU was founded in 1959 as California Lutheran College (the name was changed to University in 1986) on farmland donated by the Pederson family, who were among many Scandinavian immigrants populating the hills of Thousand Oaks. The Scandinavian influence has stayed with the school since its founding. Every spring, a cultural festival takes over the campus for a weekend. Also, many buildings on campus and streets in the area are named for prominent Scandinavians who helped to found CLU.
Orville Dahl, Ed. D. was the first president of the College from 1959-1962. Dahl had many ambitious dreams for what the college was to become. He originally thought that the Pederson and Thompson dormitories would be hotels for on campus guests and families of students. These dorms are still in use for present day freshman. Dahl had dreamed of developing a North campus near Mount Clef. He also brought the university's first football coach, Robert Shoup, to the campus in 1962. Shoup used an orange orchard for football practice and used the local high school stadium for home games for the first two seasons. He won 13 NAIA District 3 Championships in 17 years. The Kingsmen appeared in the playoffs five times, winning the NAIA National Championship in 1971. He was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 1971. As the head coach of the Kingsmen he was named in the Who's Who in America and the #1 winning university college football coach in California up to the time he quit coaching in 1988, and ninth among coaches at any level of college football nationally. His football teams were listed in the top 10 winningest college football teams over the last 50 years with a 182-81-6 record, and that included such large school giants at Oklahoma, Penn State, Alabama and Notre Dame.
The G and F buildings, currently offices, are one of the few remaining vestages of CLU's past. The former chicken coops now house offices for several academic departments.
In 2007, California Lutheran University was also ranked 17th among all American Western Universities, which includes states ranging from Texas to Alaska, to obtain a Master's Degree. [3].
[edit] Campus
The 225-acre campus occupies a gently sloping hillside amid the rolling hills of Southern California.
Currently, the CLU campus is in the midst of an expansion. A new athletics center, The Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, nearly doubled the size of the developed campus. Along with the new athletics center is the new outdoor, Olympic-sized swimming pool. A new dormitory, Grace Hall, just opened on the southwest side of campus. The campus has undergone a facelift, adding a welcome center and more offices.
It is notable that the former chicken coops mentioned above were converted into classrooms by Jefferson A. Elmendorf, the same architect who designed The Centrum. Elmendorf worked with Dr. Dahl in master planning the campus. He started in the chicken coops with a draftsman and eventually moved into the administration building where he eventually had five draftsmen/architects working for him. Elmendorf's architecture is quite distinctive and may be seen throughout Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
[edit] Visiting Campus
California Lutheran University maintains a campus that is often the location for high school visits and college searches. CLU offers regular tours of the campus as well as preview days throughout the academic year where students and their parents can come to campus for the day and explore its features and meet its people. The preview days (including Fall Showcase and Spring Showcase) are held every year and are in place for current high school students and their parents to enjoy a structured day of CLU information sessions, tours, and a welcome by the university President.
[edit] Presidential Hosts
This distinguished group of undergraduate students volunteer their time to give regular campus tours all through the academic year, as well as serve as the main staff for all preview days, as well as Admitted Students Day. They hail from all class levels and represent the best that the university has to offer. The Presidential Hosts (abbreviated "Pres Hosts") work in close conjunction with the office of the university President to stay updated on campus improvements, additions, and policy changes so the information provided on tours can be as accurate as possible. Tours are designed to be intimate and individualized, and as such, multiple Pres Hosts are assigned to each tour time so that if more than one family has signed up for that time, each family can receive a personal tour.
[edit] Residence Life
California Lutheran University maintains a policy of guaranteeing on-campus housing for all four years if students elect to do so. For incoming residential freshmen, they are required to live in one of three residence halls located in the Eastern part of campus: Mt. Clef Hall, Pederson Hall, and Thompson Hall. Freshmen must live on campus unless their permanent residence is less than 30 miles from the school, in which case they are allowed to commute if they desire. If students live more than 30 miles from the school, are under 25 years of age and single, then they are required to live on campus for their first three years (freshman, sophomore, and junior) as a CLU student. As seniors, students may elect to live off campus even if their status does not conform to the above rules for the other class levels. Each residence hall possesses Resident Assistants (RA's) who serve as mentors to the students who live in their halls. They do this by being a visible presence in the residence hall, as well as planning entertaining programs for their residents to attend. In case of any rule violations, RA's are also there to enforce discipline; however, their primary role is as a mentor. CLU has a no-alcohol policy in the residence halls. Even if a student is over 21 years of age, alcohol is still prohibited in students' possession on any part of the campus, and multiple violations of this policy can result in expulsion from the residence halls, or in serious cases, the university itself.
[edit] Upperclassmen Housing
Once students move on to their sophomore, junior and senior years at CLU, they are allowed to choose which residence hall to live in on the "upperclassmen side" of campus, which is the West end of campus. This area contains the New West Complex (comprising four buildings: North, South, West, and Potenberg Halls), the Old West Complex (comprising four buildings: Afton, Janss, Rasmussen, and Conejo Halls), the Mogen Hall Apartments, and Grace Hall. Another residence hall, currently dubbed Trinity Hall, is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2009. Traditionally, New West attracts much of the sophomore housing, Old West the juniors, and Mogen and Grace the seniors. However, in recent years there has been a virtual complete mixing of sophomores, juniors and seniors all throughout Old West, New West, Mogen and Grace.
[edit] Special Housing Options
The university owns and maintains several on-campus houses that are used for upperclassmen housing. Living in the houses is a privilege, and students must apply to live there and carry a certain GPA. Usually, juniors and seniors occupy the houses, but sophomores can live in them if they apply with an upperclassman. Kramer Court is another special housing option. Originally built as apartments for married students, they are on the East side of campus and come fully furnished with a living room, two bedrooms, a backyard, and many other features not common to other on-campus housing. Like the houses, these units are application-based, and usually juniors and seniors occupy them. The same housing rules apply to the special housing options, and RA's are present in all of them.
[edit] Student body
Cal Lutheran has a very diverse student body consisting of approximately 3,298 students. These students come from all across the nation and globe. CLU maintains close ties with several foreign organizations, and hosts exchange students from a variety of nations. A large portion of students come from out-of-state as well, including Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Hawaii, and Minnesota.
Although it is a Lutheran intuition, CLU's student body is often less than 25% Lutheran. This has led some to jokingly say that "The Lutheran in Cal Lutheran is silent."
[edit] For New Students
New students, whether they are transfers or incoming freshmen, are provided with a detailed Orientation weekend upon their arrival at the university. Upperclassmen mentors, known as Peer Advisors, take on the role of guiding a group of 14-17 freshmen students through Orientation and all through their first semester, while team-teaching a class called Freshmen Seminar with a faculty mentor. The Peer Advisor's role is that of a mentor, not a disciplinarian; therefore, new students are encouraged to talk to their Peer Advisors about any problems they may have in their lives or at school.
[edit] Student Government
The student government of California Lutheran University is, as of 2008, divided into three branches, all which possess different responsibilities. The ASCLU-G (Associated Students of California Lutheran University Government) comprises the Senate, Programs Board, and Executive Cabinet. For Senate and Programs Board, there are four elected positions available per class level as well as a transfer student, recorder, and commuter student position. On Programs Board, there are also two Marketers. The Executive Cabinet is made up largely of students who have served on ASCLU-G for one or more years, and contains the offices of the ASCLU President, Programs Board Director, Senate Director, Executive Recorder, and ASCLU Controller. This years Executive Cabinet is ASCLU President Andrew Brown, Senate Director Beth Peters, Programs Board Director Jesse Knutson, Executive Recorder Mayan White, and ASCLU Controller Kyle Hitch. Meetings are held Monday nights, and the entire student body is welcome to attend. Elections are held in Spring (for all positions for the next academic year), and in Fall (to elect the four freshmen positions and any unfilled spots from Spring).
[edit] ASCLU Constitution Preamble
We, the Associated Students of California Lutheran University, in order to provide for student organization, to encourage academic and social development, to provide a forum for student expression, and to further Christian growth, do establish this constitution.
[edit] Senate
The ASCLU Senate is primarily responsible for the financial needs of the students. Some of their duties include (but are not limited to): approving and allocating funds to new campus clubs, purchasing equipment for residence halls, and discussing and/or changing campus dining policies. The Senate is usually divided into three or four committees, headed by a committee chair (who has usually served on Senate for one or more years), and each has a specific jurisdiction regarding campus policies. Contact Senate at asclugsenate@callutheran.edu
[edit] Programs Board
The ASCLU-G Programs Board is primarily responsible for planning, organizing, financing, and running many of the on- and off-campus events that go on throughout each academic year. The principle event that Programs Board is responsible for is known as Club Lu, a free event for traditional undergraduate students every Friday night. Each Club Lu is different; in the past, some Club Lu events have included rollerskating, on-campus dances, iceskating, bowling, movie nights, the Homecoming carnival, Christmas festivals, and talent shows. Programs Board is also responsible for planning larger off-campus events such as the Homecoming Dance and Spring Formal. Like Senate, Programs Board is divided into three or four committees, each headed by a committee chair (who has usually served on Programs Board for one or more years), and each is assigned specific events to plan throughout the academic year. Contact Programs Board at asclugprogbd@callutheran.edu
[edit] Scholarships
California Lutheran University offers many scholarships, grants, and loans to students which makes CLU affordable to students of all financial backgrounds.
- Everyone who applies is eligible for a CLU academic merit scholarship; no special application is required. These scholarships are based primarily on the applicant's GPA and ACT or SAT scores and range from $5,000 - $15,000 per year.
- The Visual and Performing Arts scholarship is open to those students who have talent in vocal music, instrumental music, drama or art. These scholarships range from $500-$10,000 and require an audition.
- The most prestigious scholarships offered at CLU are the Presidential Scholarships. These scholarships range from $15,000 to full tuition, around $26,000. One of the requirements for a student to earn this scholarship is to have a GPA of at least 3.75, and to have scored above 1250, combined Critical Reading and Math, on the SAT or above a composite score of 28 on the ACT [4]. Normally, students must have their application for admission complete and postmarked by mid-January to be considered. A special application is also required. Those who qualify are required to come for an on-campus interview.
- CLU Multicultural Incentive - Because Cal Lutheran values cultural and ethnic diversity on campus, special financial aid consideration is given to first or second generation students of non-Caucasian ethnicity.
Other scholarships:
- Alumni Scholarship - $500, must be the child or grandchild of a CLU graduate.
- Partners in Ministry - $1000, children of ELCA pastors.
- Congregation Partners in Education - Students sponsored by their church congregation will have that gift matched by CLU in $100 increments up to a maximum of $500, regardless of denominational background.
[edit] KCLU
KCLU Radio, an award winning National Public Radio station located on California Lutheran University's campus. The station services Ventura County, California at a radio frequency of 88.3 MHz and Santa Barbara, California at a frequency of 102.3 MHz.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Hank Bauer - retired special teams player San Diego Chargers, 1977-82
- Nick Dettorre - Rugby player for the New Zealand All Blacks.
- Jacquelyn Fontaine - 2006 Miss California.
- Lorne Geating - Former Pop Idol.
- Kevin Gross - retired Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher.
- Eiei Khin - Burmese swimsuit/lingerie model.
- Jason Hirsh - Major League Baseball pitcher.
- Brian Kelley - retired linebacker New York Giants, 1973-83.
- Rod Marinelli - Head Coach of the Detroit Lions.
- Chad Power- Actor, most famous for portraying Tum-Tum in The Three Ninjas series of films.
- Quinn Rossi- Actor, originated the role of Steven in the off-off Broadway production of OHIO.
- Stacy Stone- United Nations consultant on environmental research.
- Dick Cepek - Founder of Cepek Suspensions, taking it to the next level. Graduated with a degree in Pure Beef, minoring in Grade A
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